But really it started before that. Our friendship grew out of our mothers' friendship, forged one summer while they worked at an orchard in rural Maine. They were both born in this place of sharp crags, majestic beauty and knee bending hardship. We tagged along as they worked, sunned themselves at local swimming holes, and laughed at dirty jokes in friends’ kitchens. We learned the geography of mudpuddles and tidepools, playing elaborate games of pretend during that magic window of childhood that feels longer than the whole rest of life.

Years later, after we funneled our creativity into practical applications, we both found ourselves working in media: one in graphic design and video at Harvard with side projects in logo design and branding, the other in video at LL Bean with documentary filmmaking and photography on the side. We honed our craft, but both felt a missing sense of place and purpose; we had lost touch with the joy our creativity brought in childhood.

Almost simultaneously, we were each drawn back home when we were ready to have our own children. Reconnecting with this place, as well as with each other, we remembered what we knew as children: that when work is inspired by joy and play it is exponentially more creative and abundant. We needed to get back into our flow.

Seeing the community that raised us with a new perspective, we are inspired by the incredible work happening all around us. We see a wave of positive change coming, and are eager to take our place in it, adding to the swell.